Waiting for tribunal hearing about WCA decision

Hi,
I recently posted my situation regarding my appeal to the tribunal about my WCA being rejected with 0 points. I got plenty of great advice on how to structure my responses and seeking out further advice which I'm in the process of doing however I was wondering if anyone could provide advice in regard to this issue with the DWP while I'm waiting for the tribunal.

I received the bundle about the DWP response from the tribunal in July of this year and still don't have a date for my hearing. Despite this the DWP have insisted because they have deemed, I can look for work that I still need to engage with them and prepare for work. This is an issue as part of my appeal involves there being a substantial risk to myself if I was found not just fit for work but to even attend the DWP appointments and take part in any WRA. I went through how in my other post I've struggled with depression and anxiety with my previous job and how the symptoms worsened in my condition to the point I had to leave my job after taking several days off of work (unapproved and couldn't contact them about it because of my anxiety) I self-harmed and even attempted suicide due to the stress of my anxiety getting worse.

Since my appeal I did receive notifications of appointments being setup with a work coach and such since then. I thought this was a kind of automatic process as after I missed them, I wouldn't receive a sanction. (I know it's not smart to ignore them but due to the nature of my anxiety I find it too stressful to engage with them and end up avoiding the situation because of my condition) I did receive a sanction finally this at the end of last month. I left messages for my work coach pleading for a response as I was confused that I would still be found fit for work while the appeal is still pending. I didn't receive any response from them, recently I got the payment notification my UC that my payment for this month was £0. I sent several messages to my work coach and this time she responded and said that talking via the journal wasn't good enough and I had to engage with them and take part in the interviews. I have to go in on Tuesday to get the sanction removed and despite them saying it wouldn't be a big deal I haven't been able to sleep properly in days and not been able to properly take care of myself due to the stress from having to take part in this due to it being a social situation. This is again why I know if I have to engage with them after and look for work it will be of a substantial risk to my health. 

I was wondering if I could get advice on this as I haven't seen much on it. Are the DWP allowed to make me look for work and prepare for it while I'm still awaiting even a date from the tribunal let alone a decision. And thus is the sanction fair. I even tried asking if I could resolve the sanction over the phone, but they insisted I have to go in person. No idea why.

I understand the tribunal hearing can take a long time, it's just been more stressful to try and submit all my evidence properly and deal with it while dealing with the DWP asking me to prepare for work.